The Jeffersons is an American "sitcom that was broadcast on "CBS from January 18, 1975, through July 2, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of "253 episodes.[1]The Jeffersons is one of the longest-running sitcoms,[2] the second-longest-running American series with a primarily "African American cast (surpassed in 2012 by "Tyler Perry's House of Payne by one episode, though The Jeffersons ran for more seasons),[1][3] and the first to prominently feature a married "interracial couple.[1][4]

The Jeffersons had one "spin-off, titled "Checking In. The series was centered on the Jeffersons' housekeeper, Florence.[8]Checking In only lasted four episodes, after which Florence returned to The Jeffersons.[9]The Jeffersons also shared continuity with the show "E/R, which featured "Lynne Moody, who made a guest appearance in one episode of The Jeffersons.[10] Sherman Hemsley guest-starred as George in two episodes of the series, which lasted for one season.[11]

The Jeffersons ended in controversy after CBS abruptly canceled the series without allowing for a proper "series finale. The cast was not informed until after the July 2, 1985, episode "Red Robins", and actor "Sherman Hemsley said he found out that the show was canceled by reading it in the newspaper.[12] Sanford, who heard about the cancellation through her cousin who read about it in the tabloids, has publicly stated that she found the cancellation with no proper finale to be disrespectful on the network's part.[13]

In 1985, Hemsley and Sanford made a special joint guest appearance in the "Canale 5 comedy show Grand Hotel, starring Italian actors "Paolo Villaggio, "Franco & "Ciccio comic duo and "Carmen Russo. They were guests in the fictional hotel, and appeared just twice during the show, for a total of five minutes. Their voices were dubbed by Italian actors "Enzo Garinei (George) and Isa di Marzio (Louise), who also dubbed their characters for the full series.["citation needed]

"Norman Lear created the character of George Jefferson specifically for Hemsley. Lear originally intended for George to appear in the first season of the series; however, Hemsley was starring in the Broadway musical "Purlie at the time, and Lear decided to postpone introduction of the character until Hemsley was available. Lear created the character of "Henry Jefferson, George's younger brother, and replaced George with Henry in the series's scripts until Purlie finished its run. "Mel Stewart was cast as Henry.[2][3] George was introduced in the episode "Henry's Farewell", and Hemsley and Stewart share their only scene together in its final minutes. The episode marked the final appearance of Henry.

George, Louise, and Lionel continued to appear on All in the Family until 1975, when the spin-off The Jeffersons, also created by Lear, premiered.[8] The characters of Lionel's "biracial fiancée, "Jenny, and her family, all of whom first appeared in the 1974 All in the Family episode "Lionel's Engagement", were also written into the new series.[16] However, the roles were all recast, with "Berlinda Tolbert taking over the role of Jenny, veteran actor "Franklin Cover playing her father, Tom Willis, whose first name was changed from Louis, as it was in their first AITF appearance, and "Roxie Roker as her mother, Helen.

During the January 11, 1975 episode of "All in the Family, titled "The Jeffersons Move Up", "Edith Bunker gave a tearful good-bye to her neighbor Louise Jefferson, as her husband George, their son "Lionel, and she moved from a working-class section of Queens, New York into a luxury apartment in "Manhattan.[17]The Jeffersons premiered the following week, on January 18, 1975.[8]

George's career as a dry-cleaner began in the first season of All in the Family, in the third episode, "Oh, My Aching Back" (though the character himself did not appear on-camera). After his car was rear-ended by a bus, he filed a civil action and won $3200, enough to open his first store in Queens.[3] At the beginning of The Jeffersons, he was operating five stores throughout New York City, with another two opening during the following seasons.

Louise made friends with "Tom and Helen Willis, an interracial couple with two adult children of their own[8] (whom George insultingly called ""zebras"):[1][18] son "Allan (played by Andrew Rubin in the first-season finale, and by "Jay Hammer throughout season 5), a "white-passing college drop-out; and daughter Jenny, an aspiring "fashion designer. Jenny and Lionel became a couple, were married on December 24, 1976, and later became the parents of a daughter, Jessica (played in later seasons by "Ebonie Smith).[8][19] Lionel and Jenny experienced marital issues, and filed for divorce in 1985.[8]

A common sight-gag of the show was George slamming the door in Bentley's face mid-conversation.[21] Bentley also had a bad back, and frequently needed George to walk on his back.[22][23] He also became known for addressing the Jeffersons as "Mr. J" and "Mrs. J".[23] "Zara Cully played George's mother, "Olivia "Mother" Jefferson, who constantly disparaged her daughter-in-law.[6][18][19] Cully, who had first appeared in the 1974 All in the Family episode, "Lionel's Engagement", reprised her role.[24] She appeared regularly in the first two seasons, but made sporadic appearances over the next two years and was written out in the fifth season (Cully died in 1978, from lung cancer; no episode was centered on Mother Jefferson's death, but it was mentioned that she had died in season 5). "Ned Wertimer played the doorman, Ralph Hart, throughout the series,[25] along with "Danny Wells who played Charlie the bartender.[26]

Mike Evans ("Lionel") left the show after the first season; his replacement was "Damon Evans (no relation),[6] who took over the role until halfway through the fourth season.[8] Damon Evans's last episode was "Lionel Gets the Business".

Mike Evans and Tolbert returned in the "1979–1980 season, with Tolbert's character, Jenny, pregnant with a daughter named Jessica. However, Mike Evans appeared for only one more season, along with Tolbert.[8]The Jeffersons' sixth season peaked at #8 in the summer of 1980. The characters of Lionel and Jenny were written out by stating that they had marital problems, the result of which became a two-part episode storyline as the series' "eighth-season premiere. The series' eighth season was the first African-American sitcom in years (since "Sanford and Son) to peak in the top 5 (the series' eighth season debuted at #3).

Evans and Tolbert appeared in the two-part episode together; Evans also appeared in one episode during the series' "ninth season in 1982, and made his final appearance in two episodes during the series' "eleventh and final season. Tolbert became a regular guest star throughout the rest of the series. In the spring of 1981, Paul Benedict left the show for a season and a half, returning in the final two seasons of the series.[8] However, the ratings sank below the top 30, and The Jeffersons aired its last episode, "Red Robins", on July 2, 1985.[27]

The Jeffersons changed time slots at least 15 different times during its 11-year run, unusual for a popular long running series.[33] The most common time slot was on Sunday night.[7]

In its first season ("1974–75), the show ranked at number four, surpassed by its parent series All in the Family (which landed at number one for the fifth year in a row).[34] The show's "ratings for the following two seasons placed it in the Top 30, but during the "1977–78 and "1978–79 seasons (the show's fourth and fifth seasons), it fell out of the top 30.[19]

It returned to the Top 10 in "1979–80, and at the end of the "1981–82 season, The Jeffersons finished third overall, only surpassed by fellow CBS series "Dallas and "60 Minutes. As a result, the series remained among the Top 20 for the next two seasons.[19]

The Jeffersons received 14 "Emmy Award nominations during its time on the air.[35] Marla Gibbs was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series each year from 1981-85. Sherman Hemsley was nominated for Best Actor in 1984. Larry M. Harris won the Emmy for Outstanding Video Tape Editing for a Series in 1983.[35]

Isabel Sanford was nominated for seven consecutive Best Actress Emmys, from 1979 until 1985.[35] Her victory in 1981 made her the first African-American actress to win an Emmy for Best Actress in a Comedy Series,[1][19][36] and the second to win any Emmy Award; "Gail Fisher, who played Peggy on the TV show "Mannix, preceded her in 1970. Sanford was also the recipient of five of the eight "Golden Globe Awards nominations the program received.[37]

On August 27, 2013, it was announced that "Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the rights to various television series from the Sony Pictures library including The Jeffersons.[39] They subsequently re-released the first two seasons on DVD on May 20, 2014.[40]

On August 8, 2014, it was announced that Shout! Factory had acquired the rights to the series; they subsequently released the complete series on DVD in a 33-disc collection on December 9, 2014.[41][42]

On April 28, 2015, Shout! released season 7 on DVD in Region 1.[43] Season 8 was released on August 11, 2015.[44]